1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a console assembly for a vehicle interior and, in one of its aspects, to a console assembly having transmission shifter and parking brake mechanisms mounted thereto prior to being mounted to the vehicle interior. In another aspect, the invention relates to a method for assembling the transmission shifter and parking brake mechanisms to the console assembly prior to installation of the console assembly within the vehicle interior and interconnection of the transmission shifter and parking brake mechanisms to the respective transmission shifter and parking brake components of the vehicle by quick-connect mechanisms.
2. Description of the Related Art
Vehicles and, more specifically, passenger vehicles typically include a console located between the front driver and passenger seats of the vehicle. FIG. 13 shows an exploded perspective view of a prior art console assembly 10 for mounting to a tunnel reinforcement member 12 of a vehicle interior. The console assembly 10 comprises a molded console member 14, a transmission shifter mechanism 16, a shifter bezel 18, a shifter knob 20, and a parking brake mechanism 22. In some cases, the console assembly 10 can also include an air bag module 24 for controlling the deployment of air bags in various areas of the vehicle.
The console member 14 typically comprises a forward end portion 26 having a flange 28 adapted to interengage with a dashboard portion (not shown) of the vehicle interior, an ashtray or other storage unit 30, and perhaps one or more container holders 32. The console member 14 can also have an intermediate portion 34 having an aperture 36 adapted to receive the shifter mechanism 16 and its associated components. Moreover, the console member 14 can include a rearward portion 38 typically provided with a storage compartment 40 having a lid 42 thereon and an aperture 68 adapted to receive a portion of the parking brake mechanism 22. The console member 14 is typically molded from a rigid synthetic resin material and is formed as an elongated shell.
The transmission shifter mechanism 16 typically comprises a bracket 44 having one or more mounting flanges 46 thereon adapted to receive fasteners for mounting the transmission shifter mechanism 16 to either the console member 14 or the tunnel reinforcement member 12 of the vehicle interior. The transmission shifter mechanism 16 also includes an upwardly-extending shifter rod 48 adapted to pass through the shifter bezel 18 and receive the shifter knob 20. When the shifter mechanism 16, shifter bezel 18, and shifter knob 20 are appropriately mounted between the tunnel reinforcement member 12 and the console member 14, an aesthetically-pleasing upper surface 50 of the shifter bezel 18 is positioned within the aperture 36 at the intermediate portion 34 of the console member 14. Typically, the shifter mechanism 16 also has a detent mechanism 52 for positioning the shifter rod 48 in a number of discrete positions--park, reverse, neutral, drive, and low gears for automatic transmissions and first through fifth and reverse for typical manual transmissions.
The parking brake mechanism 22 typically comprises a bracket 54 adapted to be mounted between the tunnel reinforcement member 12 and the console member 14 which includes a pivotal mounting 56 for a parking brake lever 58 as is conventionally known.
Also shown in FIG. 13 are a transmission actuator rod 60 and a parking brake actuator cable 62 each having well-known threaded portions 64 and 66, respectively, provided on the tunnel reinforcement member 12. The interconnections 64 and 66 of the transmission actuator rod 60 and parking brake actuator cable 62 are adapted to be interconnected to the transmission shifter mechanism 16 and parking brake mechanism 22, respectively.
Several problems and costs have arisen during the assembly and installation of the console assembly 10 to the tunnel reinforcement member 12 of a vehicle interior. This assembly typically requires several expensive and time-consuming steps: (1) the transmission shifter mechanism 16 is installed between the tunnel reinforcement member 12 and the console member 14; (2) the shifter mechanism 16 is interconnected to the transmission actuator rod 60 via the interconnection 64; (3) the parking brake mechanism 22 must be installed between the tunnel reinforcement member 12 and the console member 14 so that the parking brake lever 58 extends through the aperture 68 in the rearward portion 38 of the console member 14; (4) the parking brake lever 58 must be interconnected to the parking brake actuator cable 62 via the interconnection 66; (5) the air bag module 24 must be mounted between the tunnel reinforcement member 12 and the console member 14; (6) the console member 14 must be mounted to the tunnel reinforcement member 12 to enclose the transmission shifter mechanism 16 and its associated components, the parking brake mechanism 22 and the air bag module 24.
Manufacturing costs and installation problems have arisen due to the number of steps which must be performed on an automaker's assembly line to complete the installation of the console member 14 to the tunnel reinforcement member 12 as well as to install the transmission shifter mechanism 16, parking brake mechanism 22 and air bag module 24. These steps require several workers and several stations along the assembly line to complete an adequate installation. Further, the automaker must track several parts, namely, the components 14-24 as individual components to be installed within the vehicle interior creating inventory requirements as well as part tracking problems throughout the automaker's plant.
Interconnection of the transmission shifter mechanism 16 to the transmission actuator rod 60 and the parking brake mechanism 22 to the parking brake actuator cable 62 is often difficult due to space requirements as well as the awkward positioning of the console member 14 relative to the tunnel reinforcement member 12 within the confines of the vehicle interior on the automaker's assembly line.
Servicing the shifter mechanism 16, parking brake mechanism 22, and air bag module 24 within the console member 14 is also difficult because each of the components must be individually removed from the tunnel reinforcement member 12 to replace the defective component.